The Missionary Position

Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice

Paperback

Recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, feted by politicians, the Church and the world's media. But what, asks Christopher Hitchens, makes Mother Teresa so divine?

In a frank expose of the Teresa cult, Hitchens details the nature and limits of one woman's mission to the world's poor. He probes the source of the heroic status bestowed upon an Albanian nun whose only declared wish is to serve God. He asks whether Mother Teresa's good works answer any higher purpose than the need of the world's privileged to see someone, somewhere, doing something for the Third World. He unmasks pseudo-miracles, questions Mother Teresa's fitness to adjudicate on matters of sex and reproduction, and reports on a version of saintly ubiquity which affords genial relations with dictators, corrupt tycoons and convicted frauds.

About the Author

Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011), 'one of the most prolific, and well as brilliant, journalists of our time' (Observer), was a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and a visiting professor of liberal studies at the New School in New York. The most recent of his numerous books are the international bestsellers God is Not Great, Hitch-22 and Arguably.

I think you run a good efficient ship. My only gripe is that you ask for delivery instructions and the delivery service ignores them I agree that no signature is required on delivery but to leave at the front door (under cover)(normal size residential block) but the service leaves the parcel at the front gate out in the rain

Hitchen's is famous for his at times brutal reviews of some of history's most beloved historical figures of the modern day, Clinton, Kissinger and even Ghandhi have all faced his scrutiny and Hitchens has made valid points on all of them. Now he has taken on Mother Theresa, the beloved hero of the Catholic Church and many Christians worldwide. Hitchens points particularly regarding the allocation of funds, the acquiremeant of funds and the dismal medical care she provided in the name of a warped view that suffering was virtuous are all damning points of interest in this critique of the proverbial sacred cow. The underlying message is that society should not hold individuals above scrutiny especially on religous grounds because this turns devils into angels and in this case a masochistic doubting nun into a saint. The medical aid that Theresa is so famous for is of particular interest to me, it is further proof that the world needs more Florence Nightingales and less Mother Theresa's in the case of offering medical aid. Prayer is no substitute for treatment.

About the Author
Born on April 13, 1949 in Portsmouth, England, Christopher Hitchens wrote for a variety of English magazines before moving to the United States in 1981. Hitchens established himself as one of the leading intellectual writers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, willing to offend his readership with his controversial positions on matters such as religion, art, politics, war and literature.

Hitchens died on December 15, 2011, from complications arising from oesophageal cancer. His death prompted tributes and eulogies from a range of public figures, including Tony Blair, Richard Dawkins, Martin Amis, James Fenton, and Stephen Fry.
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